Even Angels Fall
by Arsahi
Summary: Due to a dark secret, Kagome has been drifting away from Inuyasha. What can he do to fix it? CHP 7 UP
1. Promises

_Typed up for Alex, 'cause she asked me to._

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter One: Promises**  
_Written by Arsahi_

"Kagome!"

The miko whirled, aimed, and loosed an arrow at Inuyasha's shout. Shrouded in a cloud of purity, the arrow sped forward and found its mark at the center of the youkai's chest. Startled, Inuyasha watched the youkai crumble and disappear. All that remained was a puddle of demon blood and the shard, which Kagome retrieved happily. She grinned at Inuyasha and added the shard to the jar, turning to congratulate Shippou, Sango, and Miroku on a battle well-fought. Frowning, Inuyasha realized, with some alarm, that a distance wider than the space between them had developed recently between the girl and himself. He couldn't understand it; it made him confused and more than a little angry.

"Let's go, Inuyasha!" Sango called.

"I'm right here, witch," he called back and jogged over, easily catching up with them. "Here, Kagome," he said, offering her his back.

"No thanks."

Stunned, Inuyasha stopped and watched the group go ahead of him.

"What...what the hell...is going on...?"

The gap seemed to grow wider as the night wore on. He felt his sense of smell face, his felt his ears melt to the sides of his head, he felt his claws become normal human fingernails, and he was actually grateful he was human that night. It would give Kagome and himself some common ground anyway, and maybe he could start bridging the gap. Along with these plans, Inuyasha came the startling revelation that he was _lonely_ without Kagome. It made him shake, the magnitude of which he missed her cheeriness and even her "osuwari".

Which was why he stuck close to camp that night.

"This is good, Kagome-chan," Sango told her.

"Thanks, Sango-chan," she answered.

"Truly delicious, Kagome-sama," Miroku added.

"Definitely!" Shippou agreed enthusiastically.

Should Inuyasha say something?

Kagome didn't even look his way.

"It..." he started. Slowly, she looked at him. "It..." _Now!_ his brain yelled. "Could be better."

Kagome blinked. "I'm sorry you don't like it." Then, she dug in her bag and handed him a cup of ramen. "Here."

"You're not going to 'osuwari' me?"

"Well, no. You don't like my cooking, that's okay. Can't expect everyone to."

He...had _wanted_ to get sat.

Forlornly, he set the ramen to the side and left camp, finding himself in a clearing. "What happened to us, Kagome?" he whispered to the stars. "We used to be so close..."

From a tree nearby, Sesshoumaru watched.

Patiently, Inuyasha waited for Kagome to come give him the humanity pep talk. However, the long he waited the stiller the night became and the darker his mood became. She stayed with Shippou, Sango, and Miroku, leaving Inuyasha feeling abandoned.

Finally tired of getting ignored, he stormed back to camp and sat next to Kagome. Close to her, as usual.

However, she moved over.

"Kagome?"

"Yeah, Inuyasha?"

Good. She still called him without a suffix.

"Can I speak to you alone for a few minutes?" he asked softly.

"Can it wait?" she asked with reluctance. "Miroku-sama was in the middle of--"

"No. It has to be _now_," he pleaded, his eyes begging her.

Sighing, Kagome smiled. "All right."

Inuyasha took her hand and led her to the open field. Once there, he took her in his arms and held her.

"Inuyasha?" she asked uncertainly.

"I miss you. I miss you so much, Kagome. I miss this. The two of us...together, just us and the jewel..." he admitted quietly.

Kagome pushed him away, frowning. "What are you _talking_ about? I'm right here, how can you miss me?"

"When was the last time we talked?" he asked of her. "This time doesn't count."

"Easy. We talked las--...no, yest--...no..."

"You see? What happened to us?"

_Sesshoumaru..._ she thought, seeing the youkai in a tree nearby. However, she didn't tell Inuyasha. "I don't know."

"When did all of this start happening? _Why_? The only thing that truly matters though, Kagome, is that I miss you. Can we start rebuilding?" he requested of her, his human eyes begging like a little boy.

Kagome nodded, her eyes flickering once more to the tree where Sesshoumaru hid. Fortunately, Inuyasha failed to notice.

"Well..." he trailed off. "Where do we begin?"

Kagome shrugged.

"You...how are your 'tests'?" he asked, trying to look sincere.

Groaning, Kagome buried her face in her hands. "Tests...don't remind me. I need to go back for three of them in about a week." She looked up at Inuyasha. "Could you get my books out of my bag? I need to study."

"Can...can I help you study?" he asked tentatively.

"I have English, math, and history tests..." she trailed off. Just the mention of two-thirds of her tests made him turn green. History he recognized. English and math he did not. "Get my books and I'll see if there's anything you can help with."

Inuyasha trotted back into camp and once her disappeared from sight, Kagome gave Sesshoumaru the all-clear.

"What is he up to?" the youkai asked, once with Kagome.

"He wants to bond," she told him.

"Do you want to bond?" Sesshoumaru inquired. "You can, if you so desire."

Kagome frowned. "Sesshoumaru-kun...you don't _own_ me. If I want to bond with Inuyasha, I will. With or without your permission."

Chuckling, Sesshoumaru nodded. "Of course. How silly of me to forget. You aren't one of my mindless followers. You're...you."

"Exactly."

"Kagome! Where is it?" Inuyasha called from the camp.

"In my bag!"

"I don't see it!"

"One's green, one's blue, and the other one is white!"

"Um..."

"Shippou-chan knows what they look like!"

"Hey brat, where are Kagome's books?"

Kagome couldn't help the small smile from creeping onto her face. Truthfully, she missed Inuyasha as much as he missed her, but...she had promised...

"Kagome?" Sesshoumaru asked.

"Hm?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Inuyasha comes. Farewell. I will meet you at the Bone Eater's Well in a week." Hesitantly, he kissed her on the forehead. "Stay well."

"Bye!" she called after him, watching him bounce away.

Inuyasha lumbered forth with her books and a blanket. "These?" he asked.

"Those," nodded she. _I shouldn't get involved...I shouldn't get involved! It will make the promise even harder to keep..._

Meanwhile, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku watched from the campsite.

"Jeez...it's about _time_!" Shippou sighed. "They've been strangers for the last _year_..."

Sango nodded, agreeing. While not in the feudal era, Kagome had studied hard and passed her junior high classes. When the spring break came and Kagome passed her high school entrance exams, she had practically lived in the feudal era. That had brought the defeat of Naraku who, with his dying breath, brought about the subsequent second shattering of the Shikon no Tama. Inuyasha, Kagome, Shippou, Sango, Miroku, and Kirara searched high and low for the shards and with a year had collected over half of them. No one like Naraku had risen from the depths of the youkai world, so it had been slow going.

"They really _are_ perfect for each other," Sango said wistfully, with a glance at Miroku.

The priest saw this, took Sango's hand and squeezed it for a moment. Then he allowed his hand traveled around...

Sango slapped him.

Although Kagome and Inuyasha heard the slap, they didn't acknowledge it. Instead, Kagome spread out the blanket Inuyasha had brought and settled on it. However, she didn't have long in one spot, for Inuyasha sat down and pulled her on his lap protectively.

"Inuyasha..." she trailed off. She tried to up, but he held her in place.

"It's easier for me to help you study if I can see the book, right?" Inuyasha pointed out. With Kikyo gone...with Kikyo gone, Inuyasha felt stronger for Kagome than he ever felt for Kikyo, and he felt certain that Kagome felt the same.

Kagome stopped struggling and settled against Inuyasha, feeling safe with her ear near his heartbeat. "Want to start with history?"

"Whatever you need to study most," he murmured.  



	2. Visitor

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Two: Visitor**

"Sesshoumaru-sama?" Jaken asked timidly.

"Didn't I tell you to watch over Rin until I came to get you?" Sesshoumaru demanded.

"O-of course, Sesshoumaru-sama, but...she's stronger than I am!" Jaken wailed.

Rin skipped out from behind the trees. She was ten and a half now, having met Sesshoumaru shortly before her ninth birthday. She would be eleven in a few months, and she refused to be babysat by a _toad_. "Hi, Sesshoumaru-sama!"

"Didn't I tell you to stay with Jaken?" he asked with exasperation.

"Yeah...but I wanted to see Kagome-sama," she explained. "Why is she with Inuyasha?"

"It looks like they're awfully cozy, Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken pointed out.

"I wanna go say hello!" Rin announced, heading for the moonless patch of field where Inuyasha and Kagome sat.

However, Sesshoumaru caught her by the back of her kimono. "No, leave them alone. Kagome will come to us if we wait." He spared a glance to the sky. "We must leave by sunrise, regardless."

Briefly, Rin considered shedding the kimono and running to Kagome, but she decided against it, instead snuggling up next to Sesshoumaru and falling asleep. Sesshoumaru had learned shortly after her tenth birthday not to fight her on these matters. As much as he hated to admit it, Sesshoumaru had developed into somewhat of a father figure for the little human girl. They settled at the base of a tree with a good view of Inuyasha and Kagome while Jaken meandered with Aun. The little ten-year-old nearly disappeared in Sesshoumaru's clothes, which Sesshoumaru found amusing.

Before Kagome could get away for a few moments, the sky had turned gray with pre-dawn. When she finally approached them, Rin greeted her first.

"Kagome-sama! Kagome-sama!" she cried.

"Rin-chan!" Kagome greeted her. Then she nodded to Jaken somberly. "Hello, Jaken-san."

"Hello, Kagome-sama," the toad answered stiffly.

"I just wanted to say goodbye before the sun rises and Inuyasha smells you three on me," the miko sighed.

"Kagome-sama..." Rin whined, clinging to her legs.

"Oh!" the miko cried, digging in her pockets. "Here you go, Rin-chan."

"Kyah!" the little girl exclaimed, beaming. She clutched a drawing pad and package of crayons to her chest then promptly put them away in a bag Kagome had brought for her last month. Sesshoumaru cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at Rin. Cluelessly, she stared at him for a few moments before realizing what he wanted her to do. She turned to Kagome and bowed. "Thank you, Kagome-sama!"

"You're welcome, Rin-chan," she smiled. "May I speak with Sesshoumaru-kun for a moment in private, you two?"

Rin nodded, grabbed Jaken (who still held Aun's reins), and dashed off.

"What do you want to talk about?" the youkai questioned.

"How much longer do you need me to go this, Sesshoumaru-kun?" Kagome wanted to know. "I...I'm losing Inuyasha, and it's only been a year. If you need me until she's seventeen or eighteen...I'll be in my twenties." She looked down. "By then, I'll have truly lost Inuyasha."

"That's another matter I wanted to discuss," Sesshoumaru said, not answering Kagome's original question. As he spoke, he spared a glance at the sky. It began to color with navy blue and pink. "Inuyasha and...well, I found a letter our father wrote to us. He wanted us to reconcile and work together--that's the reason he made Tetsusaiga and Tenseiga."

"That's not new," Kagome commented.

"He wanted Inuyasha to defeat and I to heal the innocents harmed."

"Yeah..."

"I never wanted to do that until I met you, Kagome. I see how much Inuyasha means to you...to all of you. He may be half-human, but he is still my brother. The least I could do is be on speaking terms with him."

"You could also come around more often," Kagome realized thoughtfully. She had forgotten her original question. "I'll talk to him about it, Sesshoumaru-kun."

The sky overhead had turned orange.

"Goodbye, you three. See you in a week!" she bade them. "Bye bye, Rin-chan!"

"Bye bye, Kagome-mama!"

"Mama?" she repeated faintly.

"C'mon, Sesshoumaru-papa!" Rin cried.

Sighing, Kagome headed back to camp. When she got there, Inuyasha appeared back in his hanyou form. _Please don't smell Sesshoumaru-kun on me..._ she pleaded silently.

Inuyasha sniffed. "Keh! My nose is doing weird things. I smell," he stopped to growl, "Sesshoumaru on you, Kagome. Maybe I smell like him in my human form?"

"Maybe," Kagome agreed. _Please believe that..._

"You don't..." Shippou trailed off.

Inuyasha blinked, startled. "That would mean that Kagome was with Sesshoumaru..."

In shock, both the hanyou and the kitsune looked up at Kagome. Shippou kept his mouth shut, not volunteering the information that he could smell Sesshoumaru all night. Miroku and Sango backed away, each for different reasons--Miroku because he had felt the youkai's prescence all night; Sango because Kagome had informed her of the promise the miko had made to Sesshoumaru. Amber eyes clouded with confusion, Inuyasha stared at Kagome. "Why were you with Sesshoumaru? Why didn't you tell me he was here?"

"You wouldn't understand, Inuyasha," she told him quietly, evasively. "It doesn't matter, anyway. He won't hurt me. He won't hurt any of us."

_She betrayed me,_ Inuyasha thought bitterly. "Keh. Do what you want. I don't care."

_I should have told him,_ Kagome realized.

"Come on," the hanyou grunted. "Let's go. We still only have," he paused to snatch the shikon shards from Kagome's neck, "this much of the Shikon no Tama gathered."

The others, minus Kagome, nodded. "I'm not hungry," volunteered Sango.

"Me either," Miroku and Shippou chorused.

Roughly, Inuyasha thrust the shikon shards back into Kagome's hands.

The rift Inuyasha noticed between them earlier ripped wider.

"Let me get my things," Kagome muttered.

Sesshoumaru, meanwhile, had gone back to his camp, staring in the direction he came from. It was lunchtime already. _I wish I could have talked with her a little longer,_ he thought wistfully. In fact, he came so absorbed in that thought that he didn't hear when Rin came up behind him, thus he nearly jumped out of his skin when she spoke.

"Sesshoumaru-papa," the little girl said. Startled, the surrogate father youkai turned to face her. "Are you thinking about Kagome-mama?"

"N-no," he denied, his face coloring red.

"Oh...well, I am. I miss Kagome-mama...it's boring playing with Jaken-sama," she complained.

"We'll see Kagome next week, Rin," he answered, placing a hand on her head. "Didn't she give you those color sticks and some paper?"

"Oh! That's right! ...I still want to play with Kagome-mama..."

"Wait until next week," he said firmly.

"Okay, Sesshoumaru-papa," Rin agreed. She settled down with crayons and the paper. Identifying Jaken's colors, she decided to draw Jaken in a rather unflattering position: him eating a fly. "Look, Sesshoumaru-papa!" she cried, thrusting her drawing at him.

Sesshoumaru gave it barely a glance. "That's nice, Rin."

Beaming, the girl ran to Jaken. "Jaken-sama, look! Look!"

Jaken looked up from his mid-morning snack, saw the drawing, and cried out. "What the hell!" the toad yelled. He snatched his staff up and raised it over his head. "Why did you do that!" Without a second thought, he began to bring the staff down on Rin.

However, he stopped mid-swing when he heard a low, rumbling growl from behind him. Slowly, he lowered his staff and went back to his snack, grumbling about bratty little human girls. Not noticing his grumbling, Rin went back to drawing pictures of Jaken. She continued to show them to Sesshoumaru, who gave slight variations of "that's nice" every time.

Becoming bored after the first ten or so pictures, Rin decided to "play" with Jaken. "Come _on_, Jaken-sama! Let's play!"

"Sesshoumaru-sama! _HELP_!" the toad cried.

"With what?" Sesshoumaru asked, sitting on a rock.

"Rin...!" Jaken yelled.

"Rin," Sesshoumaru called. "Play nice."

"Okay, Sesshoumaru-papa! I will!" Rin promised, turning to the toad youkai with mischief in her eyes. "We'll have _fun_, Jaken-sama."

Jaken just let loose a wail of despair.

After a few hours of "playing" with Jaken, Rin realized she was hungry and looked to Sesshoumaru. To her surprise, the youkai had prepared dinner for her and sat calmly, facing the direction which he had gone to see Kagome the night before. With a squeal--it was a treat when Sesshoumaru made dinner for her, as he always told her to go find food herself--Rin rushed back to camp, petting Aun as she did. "Thank you, Sesshoumaru-papa!"

Jaken limped back to camp and sat against Aun dejectedly.

While Rin ate, an idea hatched in her head. She desperately wanted to see Kagome, and Kagome and her friends probably hadn't gone far from where they were the night before. Most likely, she could make it to Kagome, Inuyasha, Shippou, Sango, and Miroku's camp before nightfall or shortly thereafter. The only thing she had to do was get away from Sesshoumaru without him noticing.

_He's dazed. He probably won't notice if I leave,_ Rin decided. When she finished, she rose and walked over to Jaken, who flinched. "Jaken-sama," Rin said sweetly. "Don't tell Sesshoumaru-papa that I'm gone. In fact, distract him. _Or else_."

Frightened, Jaken nodded. "Yes, Rin-sama. Whatever you say!"

"Good," smiled she. "Get to it."

Hurriedly, Jaken jumped up and ran to Sesshoumaru, lugging Rin's drawings. "Sesshoumaru-sama, have you seen Rin-sama's pictures?"

"..." answered Sesshoumaru.

Rin took this opportunity to run like the bats of hell were behind her.  



	3. Consequences

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Three: Consequences**

When night rolled around, Kagome sullenly ate food from the modern world for dinner. Nobody spoke for fear that Inuyasha would bite their heads off, Kagome in particular. The hanyou had been grumpy all day, refusing to speak more than a sentence to anyone. Although Kagome felt bad, there wasn't anything she could do to calm his...angry, hurt, betrayal? about Sesshoumaru.

"I'm going to bed," Kagome announced when she finished eating.

"Me too," Shippou agreed. The kitsune always went to bed with Kagome, no matter what the time.

"Goodnight," Sango said.

"Sleep well, Kagome-sama, Shippou," Miroku wished them.

"Goodnight Sango-chan, Miroku-sama," she replied. She didn't even both saying goodnight to Inuyasha, instead crawling straight into her sleeping bag and snuggling up with Shippou.

"Goodnight," Inuyasha growled after them.

Instantly, Kagome felt guilty. "Goodnight, Inuyasha."  
Soon, everyone went to their proper sleeping areas and Inuyasha was in his spot, awake, holding Tetsusaiga, and brooding. Hours seemed to pass before Kagome felt herself drift off to sleep, only to be interrupted by a soft voice near her.

"Kagome-mama," the voice whispered.

Slowly, Kagome opened her eyes, as if it were a dream. However, she saw Rin as she feared she would. Without thinking, Kagome stuffed her pillows beside Shippou to give the appearance she still slept there. She then crawled out of the sleeping bag, slipped on a pair of shoes, strapped her arrows and bow to her back, and walked over to Rin. "Rin-chan...why are you here?"

"I wanted to play with Kagome-mama," she explained with a grin. "Jaken-sama is boring, and he hates my drawings."

"Does Sesshoumaru-kun know you're here?" Kagome asked patiently.

"Nope, and he won't if Jaken-sama knows what's good for him," Rin informed her.

Sweatdropping, Kagome took Rin by the hand. "Rin-chan, you can't stay here and play with me. It was dangerous for you to come here by yourself! You could've gotten hurt or lost. Sesshoumaru-kun is probably very worried about you now, too."

"But...I just wanted to play for a _little_ bit," Rin tried to tell Kagome, but the miko would hear nothing of it.

"Come on, Rin-chan," Kagome whispered. "Let's get you back to Sesshoumaru-kun."

"Jaken!" Sesshoumaru raged. "I can't _believe_ you let her out of your sight like that without asking where she went!"

They had picked up Rin's scent and were frantically running towards her destination.

"You stupid toad!" Sesshoumaru accused Jaken in his anger. "How could let her wander off like that when I told you to watch over her!"

"I'm sorry, Sesshoumaru-sama!" Jaken cried pathetically, far behind. "I didn't mean for it to happen!"

Growling with disgust, Sesshoumaru kept on Rin's trail at superhuman speeds when suddenly it became stronger and accompanied by Kagome's. He stopped in his tracks, calmly walking up to meet Kagome and Rin.

"Kagome," nodded he.

"Sesshoumaru-kun," she replied. Slowly, she let Rin go over to Sesshoumaru, who promptly picked the human child up and tucked her under his arm. "Sorry."

He just nodded again.

Kagome nodded too.

"So," he said finally.

"So," she agreed.

An awkward silence blanketed the miko and the youkai, for both seemed at a complete and utter loss for words.

"Rin-sama!" Jaken yelled from behind Sesshoumaru, having finally caught up. "You stupid _brat_, what do you think you're doing, running off in the middle of the night like that!" The toad hobbled forward, shaking his staff at her.

However, Jaken reached them, Sesshoumaru simply stepped on him.

Kagome sighed, sweatdropping. "Is it really necessary to do that?"

It looked as if Sesshoumaru might answer for a moment, but instead he turned on his heel and left.

"Well, _gee_, Sesshoumaru-kun, you're welcome!" Kagome yelled after him. "The _least_ you could have done was say 'thank you'!" Sighing, she lowered her voice. "I wish I would 'osuwari' you, too."

Back at the camp, Inuyasha fell face-first into the dirt.

"What the _hell_!" Inuyasha demanded angrily. He rose, stormed over to Kagome's sleeping bag, saw the pillows, and lifted Shippou up by his tail. "Hey brat, where's Kagome?"

Shippou yawned. "Bastard...she's right here...I was sleeping, dammit..."

"Stupid, useless kitsune," Inuyasha swore under his breath, dropping Shippou to the ground. However, he did catch Kagome's scent then and decided to follow it. this led him through the woods and out to a river where Kagome skirted the edge. He came face-to-face with her rather suddenly. One smell on her completely overpowered him: Sesshoumaru. He did smell another foreign scent, but he couldn't have cared less.

Kagome had gone back to Sesshoumaru.

She had gone to his brother, his sworn enemy.

She had betrayed him.

Again.

Feeling more hurt and betrayed than before, Inuyasha didn't bother to speak to her, simply took off back to the camp, leaving Kagome to fend for herself. When Kagome reached the camp, Inuyasha refused to even look at the miko, let alone speak to her. The night continued that way, as did the day following. Worried, Kagome confided in Sango, who tried to comfort her but ended up making Kagome more worried.

"What am I going to do..." she groaned and buried her face in her hands. "I can't break my promise, but...Inuyasha..." 


	4. Choices

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Four: Choices**

Kagome sat on a rock by the river. The group was on their way back to the village and the well. Thinking about the conversation she had had with Inuyasha earlier, Kagome's eyes glazed over with unshed tears and she hugged her blanket tighter around her. How could he have said such mean, awful, hurtful things to her?

_Earlier_

"Kagome," Inuyasha said without emotioin. His ears pricked backwards in annoyance. He had turned his back to her.

"Yes, Inuyasha?" she asked congenially.

"We have to talk," he replied quietly, still without emotion. "In private."

Nodding, Kagome followed him out to where they could still see camp but not be overheard. When they stopped in clearing nearby, Inuyasha looked out to the horizon. "What do you want to talk about?" she wanted to know.

"You. Go back to your world."

"What?"

"Go back to your world, Kagome. You aren't needed here."

The statement hit Kagome with the force of a bag of bricks. "What do you mean?"

The hanyou whirled and faced the miko, bitterness, hurt, and something foreign shining through his amber eyes. "We don't need a _traitor_ here. _Go back to your world_."

"You haven't even bothered to ask me, alone, why I've gone to Sesshoumaru--no, why he comes to me. And anyway, how is this any different from Kikyo and you?" Kagome demanded, tears beginning to gather at the corners of her eyes. "I'm not more a traitor now than you were with Kikyo."

"Kikyo was _much_ different!" he snarled.

"How?" Kagome pressed. "Explain to me, O Inuyasha-sama!"

"I was in love with Kikyo. I had an obligation to protect her," he told her, his voice layered in deadly overtones. His hands had clenched into fists at his sides.

The miko narrowed her eyes. "And I don't? Who says I'm not in love with Sesshoumaru-kun? Who says I don't have an obligation to him?"

Inuyasha's eyes narrowed back at her. "You're in love with Sesshoumaru, then?"

"I didn't say that. You're jumping to conclusions, Inuyasha," she told him.

"Why would you say 'who says I'm not in love with Sesshoumaru' if you didn't mean it?" Inuyasha growled.

"You aren't letting me explain!" she cried desperately.

He either didn't hear her or decided to ignore her. "Dammit, Kagome--it's either him or me. Pick. Sesshoumaru or me!"

There was...she couldn't...how could she pick between them? In desperation, Kagome burst into tears, trying hurriedly to wipe them away to hide how Inuyasha had hurt her. She dropped to her hands and knees, covering her mouth with one of her hands.

_Shit..._ Inuyasha cursed mentally. _Why did she have to go and fucking cry?_

He crouched next to her. "Eh...Kagome..."

She turned her back on him, sniffling furiously. "W-what?"

"Why are you crying?" he asked. _Stupid question, genius._

"It doesn't matter," she sobbed pathetically.

Seeing how much he had hurt her and not being able to help, Inuyasha jumped up, growled under his breath, and took off. "What do I do?" he muttered, landing in a tree branch and staring forlornly out into the distance. "Was it fair to make her choose between my brother and me? What if she really _doesn't_ love Sesshoumaru?" he pondered aloud. The late afternoon had already gone halfway through its transition into night, offering the stars and a new moon as setting for Inuyasha's turbulent thoughts. "I was too hard on her," he decided. "Keh...she and Sesshoumaru...my sworn enemy..."

Meanwhile, Kagome sat crouched in the grass, trying to empty all of her tears before she went back to Miroky, Sango, Shippou, and Kirara. The last thing she needed was them worrying unnecessarily about her. Inuyasha was right--she _was_ a traitor, and the situation was much different than Kikyo and Inuyasha. She wasn't protecting Sesshoumaru, she wasn't in love with Sesshoumaru...it was very different. Yet, Kagome imagined it hurt more than Kikyo and Inuyasha. She herself couldn't imagine the situation, but it must have hurt, or else Inyuasha wouldn't have told her to leave like that. Still, it hurt her to hear those things--traitor, you're not needed, go back to your world...

Furiously, she tried to shove back a fresh wave of tears. This was ridiculous, she told herself. If Inuyasha didn't want to understand then that was _his_ problem. It seemed the only person that didn't want something from her nowadays was Kouga. All _he_ wanted from her was her. "Hmph," she said dully. "I don't choose either of them. I choose Kouga-kun."

"I knew you would come around someday, Kagome."

She jumped up. "K-Kouga-kun!"

"Ah, my little butterfly!" he said adoringly, hugging her. "I had hoped you would come to your senses and realizes Inukkuro was bad for you. Who's the other one you had to choose between?"

"Ah...Kouga-kun..." Kagome protested. "I was just thinking angry thoughts out loud. I don't _really_ choose you." She looked down as Kouga released her. "I'm sorry."

The wolf youkai tilted Kagome's face up, searching her brown eyes. He cupped her cheek in his hand and gently wiped away some of her tears with his thumb. "Has Inukkuro kissed you yet?"

"N-no...why, Kouga-kun?" she asked, afraid the wold youkai would take away her first kiss.

"Let me know when he does." Instead of claiming her first kiss, Kouga simply kissed her cheek terribly close to her mouth. "After Inukkuro kisses you, I'll show you what a _real_ kiss feels like." Usually, Inuyasha caught Kouga before the wolf demon gave any indication of romance. As much as Kagome hated to admit it, Kouga truly seemed to love her. "Farewell, Kagome," he wished her. "Good luck choosing. I'm always the unlisted last option, if you need me. Just use the Shikon shards and I'll be here faster than you can say 'Inukkuro.' G'bye, Kagome!"

He left without waiting to hear her answer. Startled, Kagome wiped away the rest of her tears. Feeling strangely comforted by wolf's words, Kagome headed back to the camp. She fished the Shikon shards from the jar. Back in the final days preceeding Naraku's defeat, Kagome found she could use the individual pieces of the Shikon no Tama to summon forth those who had them as well. She could not control those with the shards like Naraku, but she _could_ beckon them. Usually they came for the other shards in her possession, but with Kouga...

She shook her head and stuffed the Shikon shards back into the jar. This was ridiculous. First Sesshoumaru, then Inuyasha, then Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha again, and now _Kouga_? What did everyone _want_ from her? She was only one person, especially since Kikyo died after the final battle with Naraku. She could only be in one place at a time!

"Kagome-sama," Miroku started. They had long since packed up dinner. All five had taken an early meal, wanting to relax after a day of walking. At least, three out of the five did. "Where is Inuyasha?"

"I don't know. Somewhere," she sighed. "Somewhere nearby, though. I can feel him."

After a moment of staring blankly at the ground, she felt someone wrap a blanket around her. Surprised, she looked down at Shippou.

"Don't be sad, Kagome," Shippou advised, pulling the blanket tighter. "Inuyasha is a bastard."

Kagome gave him a small smile. "Thank you, Shippou-chan, but I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I just have a lot...a _lot_ going on right now and I'm kind of falling apart." Tears came to her eyes again and she bit her lip, looking away. _Why does this have to happen_ now_! Why does this have to blow in my face all at once!_

_Present_

"Where's Kagome!" she heard Inuyasha's voice ring out across the campsite. "I smelled Kouga on my way back here!"

"Kagome-chan's over there," Sango pointed.

Inuyasha nodded and leapt over to Kagome. "Listen, Kagome, I--" he stopped, a puzzled expression marring his features. "I smell Kouga. What the hell have you been up to _now_! Consorting with Sesshoumaru and now _Kouga_! Was there something I wasn't invited to!"

"Go away," Kagome said tiredly, tears slipping down her cheeks again.

"No! Kagome, did you mean it when you said you wanted to see me again last year? Were you lying when you said you would stay with me?" he asked her, eyes trained on hers.

_He remembers that?_ Kagome wondered, awed. She didn't answer him though. _I want Kouga-kun,_ she thought desperately. _I don't want to deal with Sesshoumaru-kun or Inuyasha for awhile. I wish Kouga-kun was here..._

The shards glowed under her high school uniform.

Inuyasha stopped his tirade. "Why are--? Who are you--you're summoning Kouga, aren't you!"

Kouga appeared a few moments later. "Well, I didn't think I'd be back so soon." He took Kagome around the waist. "What's wrong?"

"I choose you."

Inuyasha growled, "What?"

"She chooses _me_, Inukkuro."

"Kagome!" Inuyasha and Shippou cried.

"Kagome-chan!" Sango gasped.

"Kagome-sama!" Miroku added.

"I choose Kouga-kun."

"Come on, dearest." He grabbed her bag, bicycle, and her and took off.

"_KAGOME_!"

The remaining four rounded on Inuyasha.

"What did you _say_ to her, you asshole!" Shippou snarled angrily.

"Inuyasha," Sango admonished. "Really! You must have said something horrible to her for her to go to Kouga."

"I told her to go back home," he muttered. "I told her to choose between Sesshoumaru and me. That's all."

Sango choked back a gasp. Miroku, however, smashed Inuyasha over the head with his monk's staff. "Stupid!" he glared at Inuyasha. "Go get her back!"

Inuyasha rubbed his head, glaring back at Miroku. "You heard her! She doesn't want to be around me! She doesn't want to be around us! She wants that _fucking wimpy wolf_."

Miroku slammed his staff over Inuyasha's head again. "You drove her away. Go and get the Shikon shards, then."

Grumbling, Inuyasha sat by the river, escaping Miroku and his Evil Monk Staff of Doom. "She made her choice," he called over his shoulder. "I asked her to choose, so she chose. I won't," he paused, feeling his voice start to hitch, "I won't force her to come back."

Sango and Miroku exchanged bewildered glances. Apparently, Inuyasha had matured over a year. Not much, but a little. _Letting go of Kikyo-sama may have affected him more than he has let on_, Miroku observed, and turned the other two back to camp.


	5. Unexpected

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Five: Unexpected**

Kouga brought Kagome to his temporary den. His companion youkai, who had since had cubs and mates of their own thus expanding the pack effeciently, were patiently waiting for his return. Two females, Ginta, Hakkaku, and two cubs ran with Kouga and the other wolves now, and once Kouga appeared from the bushes surrounding their small clearing and cave further up one of the river's tributaries, they pounced on him and Kagome.

"Kagome-neechan!" Ginta and Hakkaku cried in unison, leaping on her and huging the miko tightly.

"Kagome-neechan, we missed you!" Ginta told her enthusiastically.

"I missed you two too," Kagome admitted, hugging them back. Kouga stood off to the side, allowing his two best friends to reacquaint themselves with his woman. He watched the cubs, a boy and a girl, wrestle while their mothers, Sarane and Hairiko, kept an eye on their mates.

"Kagome-neechan," Hakkaku said, finally releasing her. "This is my mate, Sarane." Sarane stepped forward. She had clear violet eyes and a paler complexion than the boys, but she obviously could fight. Kagome nodded as Sarane flipped her blond hair over her shoulder. "And my cub, Jintsen."

Jintsen, temporarily summoned away from play time, presented himself in front of his mother.

"Hello, Sarane-chan, Jintsen-chan," Kagome smiled.

Ginta stood straighter and beckoned his mate and cub. "My mate, Hairiko, and my cub, Katsue."

In the same fashion as Sarane and Jintsen, Kagome greeted Hairiko and the female cub. Katsue and Jintsen tumbled off to play again, ignoring Kagome, Kouga, Ginta, Hairiko, Hakkaku, and Sarane. Kouga joined the rest of his pack once introductions were over, trusting the real wolves to guard the children, and allowed his arm to settle around her waist when she didn't protest.

_Something displeases you, my butterfly_, Kouga observed. _I know because not two minutes after I left you, you called on me and said you had changed your mind. Well, my dove, I will have to get you to sort your mind out and go back to that silly Inukkuro. Then you can decide whether you truly desire me or not._

"Ginta, Hakkaku...take care of things here for a few moments? I need to speak with Kagome in private," Kouga explained as he steered Kagome off to the side, behind a cluster of trees opposite the cubs. "Kagome," he said softly. "Why are you here?"

"Becuase I'm tired of Inuyasha," she said slowly.

"Tired of Inukkuro?" Kouga repeated, disbelief coloring his voices. "How so?"

Kagome leaned heavily against a tree trunk and sighed. "It's complicated," she said at last.

"I don't have anywhere to be," Kouga assured her. "You called me for a reason, Kagome. Why did you choose me? You chose me because I will listen to your problems. You chose me because you need someone to listen to you." He approached her and took her hand in his. "So let me listen, Kagome."

Touched, Kagome sniffled. "You remember when Naraku was defeated, right?" Kouga nodded. "Well," she continued, her voice watery, "I...I made a promise to someone Inuyasha doesn't like shortly afterwards. And he comes to see me on Inuyasha's human nights. Inuyasha never realized until a couple days ago and he went ballistic. Last night, the man I made a promise to came to see me again even though it wasn't Inuyasha's human night, and Inuyasha found out. He wasn't angry that time...not as much as he was..._hurt_...I guess." Sighing, she looked down, taking her hand out of Kouga's and fiddling with her skirt. "Inuyasha told me earlier today to go home because I'm a," her voice cracked, "a traitor." Tears began to trickle down her cheeks. "I'm not needed anymore because I'm a traitor."

Kouga hugged Kagome then, as he took in her story. Quite frankly, if he and Kagome had been in the same situation, Kouga would have done the same as Inuyasha. Without thinking, he told Kagome as much. "Kagome," he told her softly, holding her out at arm's length, blue eyes level with hers. He brushed her hair from her face. "I will let you stay here until you sort things out, but thten you have to go back to Inukkuro, got it? You belong with him and your group right now, not me or the man you promised whatever to." To himself, he added, _Plus, you're just using me._

Kagome studied him for a moment then sighed and pushed him away, walking back over to Ginta, Hakkaku, Sarane, Hairiko, Katsue, and Jintsen. As much as she didn't want to believe him, Kouga was right. She really was only using the poor wolf youkai, and she truly belonged back at camp with Shippou, Sango, Miroku, Kirara, and...Inuyasha. Nonethesless, she still wanted to stay with Kouga and his pack because they didn't confuse her. They didn't get angry with her. They showed gratitude towards her. Granted, most of her true group did as well, except for Inuyasha. She was simply tired of Inuyasha, as she had told Kouga at first.

Night had descended upon them while Kouga and Kagome had talked, she realized with a yawn. She quickly ate dinner and turned in, missing Shippou in her arms. However, she didn't have long to miss the kitsune as two wolf youkai cubs curled up on either side of her. Kouga slept near her as well, moving Jintsen to the same side as Katsue and settling on the vacant spot.

Kagome sighed and fell asleep.

"Sesshoumaru-sama," Jaken said, "where are we going?"

Morning had awaken not too long ago. The moment Rin woke up, Sesshoumaru had picked her up and left, leaving Jaken to hurry up with Aun. "I smell Kagome," Sesshoumaru offered as an explanation. "I don't smell Inuyasha or the others she is usually with. I do, however, smell wolves."

"Kagome-mama's with wolves?" Rin asked fearfully. "Sesshoumaru-papa...we have to save Kagome-mama!"

Sesshoumaru didn't answer but picked up his pace as Kagome's scent grew stronger. A wolf youkai pack denned near this spot, he remembered. One that took particular pleasure in harassing his brother and also the one that had killed Rin. What on earth would Kagome be doing _there_? Unless...unless they had kidnapped her to get something from Inuyasha.

For some reason, that made Sesshoumaru panic.

He burst through into the clearing where the wolves denned, finding less of them than he had anticipated. He didn't care, though. What mattered was the fact a wolf youkai had his arm around Kagome's waist and the other wolves were closing in on her.

Sesshoumaru sprang through the shrubbery, leaving Rin, Jaken, and Aun behind. He grabbed Kagome, hoisted her over his shoulder, and took off before the wolves had realized what happened.

"Bye!" Rin told Kouga, not recognizing him, and ran off after Sesshoumaru. Jaken was slightly slower in starting, as Aun refused to move. "Sessho--" Rin started to call, but found herself lifted from the ground and involved in a high-speed chase. "Hey! Put me down!" Rin kicked and tried to bite Kouga. "Put me do--ahhhhhhh!"

The whirlwind that was Kouga came to an abrupt half in front of the speeding Sesshoumaru. Rolling his eyes, Sesshoumaru raised his hand to attack Kouga and realized the wolf youkai held Rin. Frustratedly, Sesshoumaru lowered his hand and glared.

"Give me back my woman, you bastard," Kouga growled.

_How do I get myself into these things?_ Kagome thought exasperatedly. _What_ are _you doing, Sesshoumaru-kun?_

"Your woman?" Sesshoumaru repeated. He rolled his eyes and scoffed, "She isn't your woman."

Again, Kouga growled. "She is too my woman!"

Kagome refrained from participating.

"Listen." Carelessly, Kouga held out Rin, his hands under her arms. "I'll give you back your little girl if you give me back my woman."

"Sesshoumaru-papa!" Rin cried while struggling in Kouga's hold. "Why does this man want Kagome--" Kouga almost dropped her, "--Mama?"

"M...mama?" Kouga echoed. He stared at the girl in front of him. He turned his gaze to Kagome. "Mama?" He looked next to Sesshoumaru. Once again, he looked at Rin, then Kagome, then Sesshoumaru, and finally back at Rin. Rin looked like Kagome. Sesshoumaru had some vague resemblance to Rin, but she acted like him. Panicking, Kouga dropped her and took off at a run back to his den.

Panting, Kouga collapsed between Ginta and Hakkaku. "Sesshoumaru...Kagome...they...they did...they did _that_! I...I didn't...I could've sworn that Sesshoumaru wasn't _that_ kind of guy!"

In his shock, Kouga failed to realize that Kagome would have had to have been six years old for Rin to be her daughter. He also failed to notice Katsue and Jintsen both had found the left-behind Jaken, who had been abandoned by Aun, and had begun to play with him. Of course, their version of "play" differed vastly from Rin's version of "play." By then, their version of "play" was wrestling and jumping on one another.

"Sesshoumaru-sama...help...!"


	6. Confidant

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Six: Confidant**

Inuyasha made sure to stay close to Sango, Miroku, and Shippou as they traveled. They still kept on course for the village because they needed to resupply themselves and sleep indoors for a little while. Inuyasha would be thankful for familiar surroundings as well, but it wouldn't be the same without Kagome.

Inuyasha had also discovered that Miroku, Sango, and Shippou decided they were boycotting him. Hurt, he had to fight the urge to keep his ears lowered close to his head. He still had to keep an eye out for youkai, as well as Kagome and Kouga, after all. He couldn't let his hurt feelings get his friends killed; then they would _really_ dislike him. Quite frankly, he didn't think he could live with anymore deaths being his fault.

The sun began to set and the others found a suitable place to sleep. Silently, Inuyasha helped them prepare camp and sat out by the river, electing not to eat. He wasn't hungry. His mind wouldn't let him acknowledge if he was hungry anyway because he was too worried about Kagome and Kouga. She had looked pretty serious when she said she chose Kouga the day before. Thoughts whirling, he leapt up into a tree, darkness upon the camp. Unconciously, he noted when everyone went to sleep, watching the fire out of the corner of his eye. At least they trusted him enough to still watch the fire while they slept.

"Inuyasha?"

The hanyou jumped. "Shit, Miroku, you scared me."

"I apologize," Miroku commented flippantly. "May I speak with you for a moment?"

Inuyasha dropped out of the tree. "You _want_ to talk to me? You were all ignoring me today though..."

Shaking his head, the priest led Inuyasha over to the river again. "Shippou and Sango wanted me to. They have no idea that I intended to talk with you this evening." With a bare hand that once bore the Kazaana, Miroku motioned to their sleeping forms. "I apologize for the way that they have treated you. As well, please forgive me for the way I have treated you lately."

Inuyasha nodded. "No harm done, except when you hit me, but that didn't hurt."

"All right. Very well," Miroku set his staff against a rock. "Inuyasha, there's a reason I wanted to speak with you, other than apologizing. Did you stop and try to think why Kagome-sama saw Sesshoumaru? Obviously, Kouga took advantage of your inherent absence. Kagome-sama is a very kind woman, Inuyasha. Perhaps she doing a favor for Sesshoumaru, or perhaps a favor for Sesshoumaru's little human girl?"

Inuyasha remained silent until Miroku grabbed his staff and started heading back to camp. "You think it's possible?" he asked.

"I know it's possible," Miroku answered. "Sleep well, Inuyasha."

In the morning, Miroku, Sango, and Shippou woke to find Inuyasha had made them breakfast. "It might not be very good," he apologized as they all took seats around the fire. "But I wanted to make sure you ate before I left."

"You're leaving?" Sango sounded surprised as Miroku ladeled out the food.

"Yes," nodded Inuyasha. "I'm going to get Kagome back and tell her I'm sorry." To himself he added, _If I don't, I will probably lose her to Kouga or Sesshoumaru, and I can't let that happen. Especially not Sesshoumaru._

"YAY! Thank you, Inuyasha!" Shippou cried, clinging to Inuyasha's leg.

Awkwardly, Inuyasha patted him on the head. "You're welcome, brat. Now eat. I'm leaving now. If I don't come back by lunchtime, go ahead and get to the village. I'll meet you there."

With that said, Inuyasha left.

It only took him two and a half hours to reach Kouga's den. He had thought it would take longer because of the amount of walking they had done over the course of the past day. He wasn't ungrateful for the traveling time, though.

When he approached Kouga's den, he made sure he was in plain sight. The last thing he needed was Kouga trying to attack him. "Oi, Kouga!" he called. Kouga looked up and saw Inuyasha. "Where's Kagome?"

Kouga leapt to his feet, waving his hands wildly. "I know nothing! Nothing, you hear? _Nothing_!"

His eyebrows raised, Inuyasha turned to Hakkaku. Kouga seemed to be acting weirder than usual. "Where's Kagome?"

"Some guy that looked kinda like you came and took her yesterday morning. He had a little girl and a toad following him too," Hakkaku explained.

"Sesshoumaru," Inuyasha growled immediately. He shot a dirty look at Kouga. "What the hell were you thinking, you stupid wimpy wolf!"

Kouga glared. "I _told_ you, I know nothing about it!"

"I left her in _your_ care! You were supposed to protect her and keep your damn eyes on her to keep her from things like Sesshoumaru!" Inuyasha shouted, storming over to the wolf. He cracked his knuckles threateningly. "How did you let this happen?"

Bristling, Kouga tried to make himself look bigger than he actually was. "I didn't _let_ it happen. Your brother happens to be a very big, very strong youkai!"

The picture of Rin, Sesshoumaru, and Kagome flashed in his mind. Kouga shuddered and tried to get it to disappear, but he kept hearing Rin call Kagome "mama" in his head.

_How_ had that happened? Kouga saw Kagome nearly every month...either she hid her pregnancy well, or she didn't show.

"Oi! Are you listening!" Inuyasha knocked Kouga upside the head. "Kagome isn't here to protect you from me now, so I'll do whatever I damn well please. What happened!"

_Should I tell him?_ Kouga wondered. _No...I shouldn't. If he doesn't know, then Kagome doesn't want him to know. Unless he found out on his own and that's why he was so angry with her. But he wouldn't be looking for her now. Hm...I don't think I'll tell him, just to play it safe._

"Keh," Inuyasha muttered. "I don't have time to play with you, wimpy wolf. _I_ have to go save _my_ Kagome!"

Kouga stared as Inuyasha took off after Sesshoumaru's day-old scent.

"She's not yours!" Kouga called belatedly after him.

"Yes she is!" echoed Inuyasha's cry.

"She's _my_ woman!" he shouted back.

"But she's _my_ mate!"

Snarling, Kouga turned and plopped down at the trunk of a tree, arms crossed over his chest, and pouting.

"Kouga?" Ginta asked hesitantly.

"What?" snapped Kouga.

"Aren't you going to go get Kagome-neechan?" Ginta wanted to know.

"No," Kouga sighed. "Inukkuro's in for a nasty surprise when he finds her."  



	7. Conspiracy

**Even Angels Fall**  
**Chapter Seven: Conspiracy**

It was nearing noon at Miroku, Sango, and Shippou's campsite. Miroku made them lunch and not too long afterwards Sango finally spoke up, breaking the silence that had loomed over them since Inuyasha had departed sometime earlier.

"What could be taking him so long?" she asked worriedly. "He just went to go apologize to Kagome-chan and bring her back. Unless...houshi-sama, do you think that maybe Kagome-chan is still angry with Inuyasha?"

"Knowing Inuyasha," Miroku said patiently, "my guess is that he most likely caused another argument which he will also have to swallow his pride and apologize for."

Sighing, Sango nodded. "You're probably right."

"In any case," Miroku said, rising to his feet. "Inuyasha instructed us to move onto the village if he wasn't back by lunch, so I'd suggest we move on."

"Are you sure? What if Inuyasha is on his way here with Kagome as we speak?" Sango wanted to know.

"If that's the case, then Inuyasha will catch up with us," Miroku assured her. "We've learned to trust Inuyasha, right?"

Shippou fielded this question. "Of course we have. Mostly. Well, in stuff like this. If he says he'll meet us at the village, he'll meet us at the village."

_Well, if Shippou-chan trusts Inuyasha, then I guess I should,_ Sango realized. "All right, all right. I give in. Let's go."

They quickly gathered their things, quite diminished by the lack of Kagome's and Inuyasha's belongings. So they turned out on the trail and after nearly six hours of walking, they reached the village. They had not seen a youkai since the day before Inuyasha's human night, and they were thankful for it. They weren't quite certain they would be able to defeat a youkai bearing a Shikon shard on their own.

"It's almost like coming home," Sango breathed as they entered the village. "This place has been home to me more than anywhere else this last year."

"I know what you mean," the monk replied. Shippou bounded ahead of them, knowing that Sango and Miroku liked time alone too. In an unperverted gesture, Miroku took Sango's hand and led her down to the village. Kaede stepped out of her hut and greeted Shippou happily. "Hello, Kaede-sama!" Miroku called. Carefully, Sango released Miroku's hand with a small, assuring smile.

"Hello Miroku-sama, Sango," Kaede called. "Hello again, Shippou." The old woman smiled at the kit.

"Good afternoon, Kaede-sama," Sango replied. They approached the hut and all four ducked inside.

"Where are Inuyasha and Kagome?" Kaede asked as they settled into the hut. With a steady hand, Kaede stoked the fire to life. "Even if they fight, they always come with you three to the village."

Shippou decided he wanted to answer the elderly miko's question. "Kagome came back to camp on Inuyasha's human night, smelling like Sesshoumaru. Then she and Inuyasha got into a silent fight. Then they got into a fight the day before yesterday and Kagome ran off with Kouga!" The kitsune started to growl. "He told her to choose between him and Sesshoumaru, so Kagome chose Kouga."

Kaede raised an eyebrow and looked to Sango and Miroku for a translation. "What does he mean?"

"A few nights ago, Kagome-sama stepped out for a little bit. We had all sensed Sesshoumaru's prescence around the camp, but we knew from before that he would not harm Inuyasha on his human night. When she returned, Inuyasha smelled Sesshoumaru on Kagome-sama. As far as I know, the next night, Kagome-sama was summoned by presumably Sesshoumaru and Inuyasha went after her. I only awoke because Kagome-sama said 'osuwari' and Inuyasha had hit the ground near me. The following evening, Inuyasha spoke with Kagome-sama and told her to choose between him and Sesshoumaru. Kagome-sama could not choose, spoke to Kouga, and came back to camp." Miroku sighed and took another breath. "Using the shards, Kagome-sama summoned Kouga while Inuyasha was yelling at her. Rather than choose Inyuasha or Sesshoumaru, she chose Kouga. That was the last we've seen of her since then."

Slowly, Kaede shook her head and heated up some food for her guests and surrogate family. "It's a shame that those two cannot resolve their differences and admit their mutual feelings." She divided up the food once it was warm enough to eat. "Perhaps they need some help."

The three absorbed that information and began to eat. An idea was already hatching in Miroku's head and he would have to share it with Sango. Under no uncertain circumstances had Kaede just practically told them to play matchmaker. Well, Miroku would definitely do that. Inuyasha and Kagome had had feelings for each other for the last year and some odd months, and it was time the feelings had culminated into _something_. Unless, _this_ was what they had culminated into. In which case, Miroku didn't accept that.

"Sango, may I speak with you outside?" he asked, tilting his head towards the door. Hesitantly, she nodded. "Excuse us for a moment, Kaede-sama." He rose and held the door open for Sango, quickly following her once she went through.

"What's wrong, houshi-sama?" Sango asked as they sat down on the steps leading to the temple that once housed the Shikon no Tama long ago.

"Did you hear Kaede-sama? She basically told us to make Inuyasha and Kagome-sama let each other know their feelings." He looked over to the hut. "I think you and I should get them on speaking terms again."

Raising an eyebrow, Sango watched him as he traced the place on his hand where the Kazaana used to be. "I guess so. But how?"

"I have a couple of ideas." He shrugged then. Unnervingly, he fixed his gaze on Sango. "Would you stop calling me 'houshi-sama'? You can call me 'Miroku' like everyone else does."

"But...it's disrespectful," Sango protested.

Miroku sighed. "Not if you added the '-sama' suffix as Kagome-sama does."

"But she's a miko and you're--"

"Forget it, Sango." He stood and stretched. "Well, we'll begin brainstorming tomorrow, when Inuyasha returns with Kagome-sama. It's late already and I'm tired." He nodded and said, "Good night."

"Wait--Miroku!"

He paused, a smile spreading on his face. "Yes, Sango?"

"Shouldn't we brainstorm now instead of later? We should have a plan for when they get back," Sango told him. "Right? And shouldn't Shippou-chan and Kaede-sama be in on it so they can help?"

Miroku sat back down. "Valid points indeed. However, Shippou would interfere by protesting against Inuyasha and Kagome's feelings. He also doesn't keep secrets very well. Kaede-sama would take matters into her own hands and I have no idea what sort of tricks she has up her sleeves."

Agreeing, Sango nodded. "You're right, now that I think about it. So what are your ideas?"

"I was thinking that you could threaten Inuyasha with Hiraikotsu," Miroku admitted sheepishly. "And I with my staff."

Sango sweatdropped. "Miroku..."


End file.
